วันพุธที่ 10 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2553

2010 Disasters: Avoidable or Inevitable?

2010 : The Year of Enraging Earth


A year-round scenario of natural disasters around the world, also in Thailand, paints a series of warning signs from Mother Earth.  In the past such warnings usually fell onto deaf ears and blind eyes, and the merry-go-round continued into the New Year. Therefore, this year, all happened in a long series of chorus to wake up humanity.

Or, it is just another unusual natural phenomenon? Are these massive tragedies avoidable or inevitable?

As 2010, the Year of Tiger, comes to its end, would the Year of Rabbit be milder and kinder? Does humanity have any say to Mother Earth?  May be it’s time for the renewal of the ancient awareness that the benign Earth is also a Sacred Mother, whose rights should also be respected.  This time it needs enforcement for the survival of humanity, not just the Mother Earth.

The initiation of API’s Regional Project on “Community Initiatives towards Human-Ecological Balance” is indeed timely. While the first three site visits might be on the kinder side of Mother Earth, the remaining two sites are a testimony of community resilience in light of the enraging, or unwell, Mother Earth. May be it is the mission of API’s RP to send some concrete and creative messages based on the findings of this ambitious project on how humans should change their relationships toward the Earth as well as to each other. 

From the news, Khiriwong shows its resilience after many days of heavy rain; but the rainfall was more than three days as it happened in 1989. Day before, news reported that Village No.8 faced landslide problem, too. This is the reality showing how interconnected we are now. Changes have to take place collaboratively and simultaneously…to avoid recurring or annual catastrophes like this year, if it is not too late.

Below is a sketch of chronology of natural disasters around the world and also in Thailand that must be contemplated seriously.

Chronology of Global Disasters, January-November 2010
Year 2010
Mon/Date
Disaster
Human casualty
Affected
Death
Wounded
Homeless
1/12
Haiti, earth quake 7 Rt
3 mil
300,000
300,000
1 mil
2/27
Chile, offshore, earth quake 8.8 Rt
(axis of the globe shifted by 3”, shortened the time by 1.26 microsecond; 1 microsecond = 1 per million second)




3/8
Australia, Melbourne: heavy rain (26-70 mm) hail storm, tennis-ball-size hail nuggest, 4”
4,000



3/20
Iceland: volcano eruption (earth quake since 2009)




3/31
Bengal Gulf: earth quake 6.8 Rt




4/7
Indonesia, Sumatra: earth quake 7.8 Rt
-tsunami 1.5 cm




4/14
Iceland: volcano under glacier erupted, interrupted air traffic in Europe
Ash spread 6,000 m



4/14
China, Chinghai (Tibet): earth quake 7.1 Rt
2,200+70
12,135


5/15
China, Hei Long Jiang NE: tornado, hail storm




6/1
India, offshore Andaman: earth quake 6.4 Rt (127 km depth)




6/5
USA, Mid West: tornado




6/7
Russia: volcano eruption




6/7
Ecuador: 3 volcanic eruption within 1 hr




6/9
Philippines: earth quake 6 Rt




6/9
Vanutu: earth quake 6 Rt




6/10
USA, Texas: heaviest flood




6/12
India, offshore: earth quake 7.5 Rt (35 km depth)




6/13
China, S: rainstorm, mudslide
Damage 43,000 mil yuan


Refugee: 3 mil pax
6/16
Biak Island, Pacific Ocean: earth quake 6.2 Rt




6/18
China, 74 cities of 6 prov.: heavy flood, mudslide
2.56 mil



7/14
China, S: flood, mudslide

400


7/14
Indo: earth quake 5.6 Rt




7/16
S. China Sea: Conson depression à N. Vietnam




End July – early Sep
Russia: 100+ spots of forest fire due to extreme drought & temperature
8,000



8/1
Pakistan, NW: impact of depression

1,000


8/8
China, NW: heavy rain, flood

127+1,300


8/12
Bolivia: 25,000 spots of forest fire across the country




9/6
Guatemala: landslide

100+


10/10-31
Thailand :Heavy continuous rains, heaviest flood along main rivers from North to Korat to CP




10/25
Indo: earth quake 7.7 Rt




10/26
Indo: Mt. Merapi erupted
Ash 2-4 km



10/27
Indo, Mentawai Island: tsunami, earth quake 7.2 Rt

108+500


11/1
Thailand, S: depression, continuous heavy rain
Historical calamities




November
North wind began to blow







Disasters in Thailand, October-early November
Number of Affected Areas and Casualties in Thailand during mid October to early November 2010
Region
(Period)
Province
Distr.
Sub-distr.
Vil.
Household
Affected Person
Death
 N-NE-CP
(Oct.-Nov.)
30
210
1,421
9,634
839,546
2,924,745
165
South
(From early Nov.)
12
122

4,621
357,646
1,501,856
43
Total
42
332

14,255
1,197,192
4,426,601
208

Source:  Thailand’s Monitoring and Rescuing Committee (คณะกรรมการอำนวยการกำกับติดตามช่วยเหลือผู้ประสบอุทกภัย คชอ.)

Flooding situation in different regions by 11/9/10
Region
Province
Flooding situation

North


Nakhonsawan
Decreasing flood level

Central Plains
Large pool of stagnant water

Chainat


Suphanburi


Ayutthaya


Singburi


Pathumthani


Nonthaburi


Northeast
High level of flood
Along Chi & Moon Rivers
Mahasarakham


Kalasin


Roi-et


Sisaket


South
Continuous heavy rain, High flood level
Around Tapi river
Songkhla
...due to series of depression
Flood warning, 9-12 Nov
Pattani

Due to continuous rain
Yala


Narathiwat


Phatthalung


Trang
11-10

Suratthani
11-10

Nakhonsithammarat
Lanska, Khanom : land slide, 11-7

Chumphon
Land subsidence, 11-9

But in…
Water level receding

Satun


Ranong


Krabi






-An overview of natural calamities, statistics compiled by Sutada Mekrungruengkul (Coordinator of WREST, Women Reshaping Thailand) from Online news of Bangkok Business and Thairat
-Additional comments by Darunee T.

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